Assault of DeAndre Harris
DateAugust 12, 2017
Time11:00 AM
LocationCharlottesville, Virginia, U.S.
SuspectsDaniel P. Borden, Alex Ramos, Jacob Goodwin, and Tyler Watkins Davis[1]

On August 12, 2017, DeAndre Harris, a Black man, was assaulted by six White men in an attack in a parking garage next to the police headquarters during the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. Images and video of the assault captured by photojournalist Zach Roberts went viral and became a symbol of the enmity underlying the protest.[2]

Four men were arrested on charges of malicious wounding in the assault of Harris. The last arrest took place on January 24, 2018. All four were convicted and sentenced to 2–8 years in jail.[3] Harris was found not guilty of assaulting Harold Crews, the chairman of North Carolina's League of the South.

Background

About 500 far-right protestors came to demonstrate their opposition to Charlottesville City Council's decision to remove Confederate monuments and memorials from public spaces.[4][5] These included self-identified members of the alt-right,[6] neo-Confederates,[7] neo-fascists,[8] white nationalists,[9] neo-Nazis,[10] Klansmen,[11] and various right-wing militias.[12] The marchers chanted racist and antisemitic slogans, carried weapons, Nazi and neo-Nazi symbols, the Valknut, Confederate battle flags, Deus Vult crosses, flags and other symbols of various past and present anti-Muslim and antisemitic groups.[13][14][15][16][17][18][19]

Harris and several friends arrived at Emancipation Park (formerly known as Lee Park) in Charlottesville as counter-protesters[20] at about 11:00 AM. Harris said that in the brief time he was at the rally, he was "hit with water bottles, pepper-sprayed and had derogatory slurs hurled" at him by protesters.[21] In less than an hour, law enforcement began to clear both protesters and counterprotesters from the park after McAuliffe had declared the rally an "unlawful assembly".[22] The white supremacists came into closer contact with the counterprotesters lining the streets as law enforcement pushed them out of the Park. There were about a thousand counterprotesters.[4][5][23]

Beating

According to photojournalist Zach D. Roberts, who witnessed the assault, the violence began when Charlottesville police pushed protesters into the streets where there were counterprotesters.[24] Harris and a few friends were leaving the Park on East Market Street along with other counterprotesters and protesters, when Harris and his friends "exchanged words" with the white supremacists. This altercation was captured by journalist Chuck Modi, who also witnessed the beating. Roberts said that the exchange "spilled into a parking lot close to the Charlottesville Police Department building."[24][25]

During the trial of assailant Jacob Scott Goodwin, arguments made by the defendant's attorney suggested that Harris had initiated the fight by "striking a prominent white nationalist in the head with a flashlight" in response to seeing "a fellow counterprotester being speared in the abdomen with a flagpole". According to The Washington Post, Harris said he swung a flashlight to try to "knock the flagpole away".[26]

Harris was separated from his friends in the chaos of the crowd and was "cornered" by white supremacists[27][28][29] who attacked him with poles, metal pipes, and wood slabs.[23][30] Harris was pulled to safety by a woman known only as Karen and was seen by a "street medic with a first aid kit". Soon after, Roberts informed police about the assault on Harris, all the while voicing concerns that Harris never received any medical attention for about 30 minutes. Harris credited Karen for keeping him alive in the first half hour after the beating.[24][31][32]

Aftermath

Harris suffered a head laceration requiring eight staples, a concussion, a knee injury, a fractured forearm, a chipped tooth, internal injuries, and a spinal injury.[33][34][35] The assault was captured by photographs and videographers, and the footage was disseminated throughout social media and mainstream news.[23][30][34][36] The Charlottesville Police Department, the Virginia State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation launched investigations into the assault.[36]

Shaun King launched an Internet campaign to identify the men involved in the beating, calling on members of the public to examine photos and videos on social media, such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter.[37] This helped identify at least one of the attackers.[38] On August 24, nearly two weeks after the beating, 18-year-old Daniel P. Borden, who was seen wearing a "Commie killer" helmet at the rally, from Mason, Ohio, was charged.[21][31][38][39][40] On August 28, 33-year-old Alex Michael Ramos of Marietta, Georgia a member of the Fraternal Order of the Alt-Knights (FOAK) a military branch of the Proud Boys,[31] was arrested on charges of malicious wounding.[21][41] 22-year-old Jacob Scott Goodwin from Ward, Arkansas a member of neo-Nazi Billy Roper's Shield Wall Network (SWN) and the neo-fascist Traditionalist Workers Party (TWP), was arrested on October 11, 2017.[1][42] On January 17, 2018, police in Charlottesville, Virginia obtained an arrest warrant for 49-year-old Tyler Watkins Davis of Middleburg, Florida a member of League of the South.[43] On January 24, 2018, Davis was arrested by deputies from the Clay County Sheriff's Department.[43]

Harris was attacked on social media and received death threats on his phone.[20] His name was specifically mentioned in a United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) August 18 report, in which experts recalled the "horrific events in Charlottesville of 11–12 August 2017 leading to the death of Ms. Heather Heyer, and the injuries inflicted on many other protesters, as well as the terrible beating of Mr. Deandre Harris by white supremacists."[44][45][46]

Trials and conviction

On May 1, 2018, white supremacist Jacob Scott Goodwin was convicted of the malicious wounding of Harris by a Charlottesville jury, which recommended a sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a $20,000 (~$23,072 in 2022) fine.[47]

On May 3, 2018, Alex Michael Ramos was convicted of malicious wounding by a jury in Charlottesville. They recommended a six-year sentence with no fine.[48]

On May 21, 2018, Daniel Patrick Borden pleaded guilty to malicious wounding. Sentencing was expected in October 2018,[48] but delayed until January 7, 2019, when he received a suspended sentence of 20 years, with three years and ten months of actual incarceration.[49]

On August 23, 2018, Goodwin received a sentence of eight years (with an additional two years suspended), while Ramos received a six years sentence (with an additional three years of probation).[50]

On February 8, 2019, Tyler Watkins Davis entered an Alford plea on the malicious wounding charge, he received a sentence of two years and one month.[51]

Assault charge and acquittal of Harris

Members of the North Carolina's League of the South, a white supremacist organization, including 48-year-old Harold Ray Crews, the League's North Carolina chairman, and the League's public relations spokesman, Hunter Wallace, alleged that Harris had injured Crews during an altercation in front of the parking garage just before Harris's own beating.[52][53][54] The League of the South presented their evidence to both the Charlottesville Police and the commonwealth of Virginia attorney. When they did not issue a warrant, Wallace and Crews went to Merlyn Goeschl, a local judge.[33] On October 9, Goeschl signed a warrant for Harris' arrest on a felony charge of unlawful wounding.[53][55] Goeschl later explained that she "found probable cause to believe Harris committed the offense based on the personal statements of Crews."[53][56] The warrant was issued on October 9 and Harris turned himself in three days later. He was immediately released without having to post a secured bail.[57]

Interpretations of video footage differ on whether Crews used a flagpole to attack "another counterprotester" or Harris himself:

According to an October 12 Washington Post article by Ian Shaphira, "online footage shows Crews trying to spear another counterprotester with the pole of a Confederate flag, prompting Harris to fight back. Harris swung his flashlight at Crews, appearing to hit him."[33]
According to an October 12 BBC article, "Video of the incident appears to show a scuffle between the two in which Mr Harris swings a torch at a man identified by US media as Mr Crews, who lunges at him with the pole of a Confederate flag."[34]
Hunton & Williams reported[58] "a counter-protester attempted to yank a flag away from a Unite the Right demonstrator who resisted and fought back. During that struggle, a second counter-demonstrator named DeAndre Harris rushed in and used a club — possibly a Maglite flashlight — to strike the alt-right demonstrator’s head or shoulder."

Harris' attorney S. Lee Merrit said, "It was a flimsy swing. It would not have justified the kind of charges brought in this case." He later provided NBC News with another video clip shot on August 12 later in the day, when DeAndre was already hospitalized. According to Merritt, the video showed a group of white men attacking Crews, with one of them striking Crews in the head with a blunt object.[59]

In an interview with The Washington Post, Shaun King said, "I am disgusted that the justice system bent over backwards to issue a warrant for one of the primary victims of that day, when I and others had to fight like hell to get that same justice system to prosecute people who were vicious in their attacks against Harris and others. Now, we're seeing white supremacists celebrate on social media, bragging about Harris's arrest. They're hailing this as a victory."[1][60]

On January 10, 2018, Judge Robert Downer downgraded the charge to misdemeanor "assault and battery", an offense that does not carry jail time.[61]

Also on January 10, law enforcement in Southampton County, Virginia charged him for speeding, transporting a loaded rifle and possession of a concealed weapon. This resulted in a new restriction for violating his bond: Offender Aid and Restoration supervision until March 16, when his trial is set.[62]

On March 16, Harris was found not guilty of assault by Judge Robert Downer.[63]

Independent review of city response

A 207-page independent review, commissioned by the City of Charlottesville and prepared by Timothy J. Heaphy, was released on December 1, 2017. The "unsparing" report assessed Charlottesville's "response to three separate white supremacist events in the city" in 2017. Most of the blame was placed on the Charlottesville Police Department but the actions of the "Charlottesville City Council, attorneys from the city and state, the University of Virginia and the Virginia State Police" were also criticized.[64] The report concluded that, "[a]lmost everything that could have been mishandled was."[64] "Virginia state troopers...had orders to protect Emancipation Park but not to go beyond the park into "the mess on Market Street."[64][65] Shortly after the publication of the report on the white supremacist rally that was "highly critical of the police department", Charlottesville Police Chief Alfred Thomas resigned.[66]

Merritt said, "In an atmosphere where it is now clear law enforcement was instructed to stand down and allow violent supremacists to attack civilians, it seems only appropriate the city of Charlottesville reduce the demonstratively unjust charges against Mr. Harris, and we encourage the city to go even further with a total dismissal."[67]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Shapira, Ian; Hawkins, Derek (October 11, 2017). "Black man attacked by white supremacists in Charlottesville faces felony charge". Washington Post. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Photojournalist Zach Roberts On Photographing Charlottesville". 21 August 2017.
  3. ↑ "The parking garage beating lasted 10 seconds. DeAndre Harris still lives with the damage". The Washington Post. September 16, 2019.
  4. 1 2 Ruiz, Joe; McCallister, Doreen (August 12, 2017). "3 Killed in Violence Surrounding White Nationalist Protest in Virginia". NPR. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Armed militia, clergy, more unite against white nationalists". Associated Press. August 14, 2017. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved August 18, 2017.
  6. ↑ Stapley, Garth (August 14, 2017). "'This is a huge victory.' Oakdale white supremacist revels after deadly Virginia clash". The Modesto Bee. Archived from the original on August 15, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  7. ↑ Weill, Kelly (March 27, 2018). "Neo-Confederate League of the South Banned From Armed Protesting in Charlottesville". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on October 20, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  8. ↑ Gunter, Joel (August 13, 2017). "A reckoning in Charlottesville". BBC News. Archived from the original on May 5, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  9. ↑ Kelkar, Kamala (August 12, 2017). "Three dead after white nationalist rally in Charlottesville". PBS NewsHour. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  10. ↑ Wootson, Cleve R. Jr. (August 13, 2017). "Here's what a neo-Nazi rally looks like in 2017 America". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  11. ↑ Park, Madison (August 12, 2017). "Why white nationalists are drawn to Charlottesville". CNN. Archived from the original on August 12, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2019.
  12. ↑ Early, John, ed. (May 16, 2018). "3 Militia Groups Connected to Unite the Right Rally Settle Lawsuits". WVIR-TV. Archived from the original on February 14, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2018.
  13. ↑ Thrush, Glenn; Haberman, Maggie (August 15, 2017). "Trump Gives White Supremacists an Unequivocal Boost". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  14. ↑ Fausset, Richard; Feuer, Alan (August 13, 2017). "Far-Right Groups Surge Into National View In Charlottesville". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Deconstructing the symbols and slogans spotted in Charlottesville". The Washington Post. August 18, 2017. Archived from the original on August 20, 2017. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  16. ↑ "Flags and Other Symbols Used By Far-Right Groups in Charlottesville". Hatewatch. Southern Poverty Law Center. August 12, 2017. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017.
  17. ↑ Feuer, Alan (August 14, 2017). "Far Right Plans Its Next Moves With a New Energy". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017.
  18. ↑ Heim, Joe; Silverman, Ellie; Shapiro, T. Rees; Brown, Emma (August 13, 2017). "One dead as car strikes crowds amid protests of white nationalist gathering in Charlottesville; two police die in helicopter crash". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved April 13, 2020.
  19. ↑ Green, Emma (August 15, 2017). "Why the Charlottesville Marchers Were Obsessed With Jews". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on August 17, 2017.
  20. 1 2 Modiano, Charles; McShane, Larry (August 18, 2017). "DeAndre Harris, brutally beaten in Charlottesville, is still getting threats from white supremacists". Daily News. New York. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  21. 1 2 3 Robles, Frances (August 26, 2017). "Two Men Arrested in Connection With Charlottesville Violence". New York Times.
  22. ↑ Stefansky, Emma (August 12, 2017). "Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe Declares State of Emergency During "Unite the Right" Rally: White nationalists with tiki torches marched through the University of Virginia's campus Friday night". Vanity Fair. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  23. 1 2 3 Robles, Frances (August 25, 2017). "As White Nationalist in Charlottesville Fired, Police 'Never Moved'". New York Times. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  24. 1 2 3 Commins, Leanna (August 15, 2017). "[Updated] Counterprotester Beaten by White Nationalists in Charlottesville Speaks Out: "How do you expect the KKK to come to your city to protest, and them not be violent?"". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  25. ↑ Edwards, Breanna (October 10, 2017). "Deandre Harris Is Now Wanted in Connection With the Same Attack at a White Supremacist Rally Where He Was Seriously Injured, Because America". The Root. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
  26. ↑ Shapira, Ian (May 2, 2018). "White supremacist is guilty in Charlottesville parking garage beating of black man". Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  27. ↑ Baldwin, Brooke (October 13, 2017). Protester describes friend's bloody beating. CNN. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  28. ↑ Calello, Monique (August 28, 2017). "Deandre Harris witness made video with W'boro native about Charlottesville". Waynesboro, Virginia. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  29. ↑ Levenson, Eric; Watts, Amanda (October 13, 2017). "Man beaten by white supremacists in Charlottesville is arrested". CNN. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  30. 1 2 Matray, Margaret (August 19, 2017). "Peace walk planned for Suffolk native beaten by racists in Charlottesville". Virginian Pilot. Archived from the original on October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  31. 1 2 3 Anstead, Abby; Lake, Hillary; Ryle, Jake (August 26, 2017). "PD: Former Mason High School student charged in Charlottesville attack". Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  32. ↑ "I was losing so much blood': Counter-protester beaten with poles, signs in Charlottesville". WRAL-TV. Raleigh, North Carolina, North Carolina. August 13, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  33. 1 2 3 Shapira, Ian (October 12, 2017). "Black man beaten by white supremacists in Charlottesville turns himself in to police". Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  34. 1 2 3 "Black man beaten in Charlottesville far-right rally charged". BBC. October 12, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  35. ↑ Jackman, Tom (August 27, 2017). "Three men charged in Charlottesville attacks on counterprotesters". Washington Post. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  36. 1 2 Wilson, Patrick (August 21, 2017). "McAuliffe wants arrests in beating of Deandre Harris during white supremacist violence". The Daily Progress. Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  37. ↑ Emmons, Alex (October 12, 2017). "White Nights: before Charlottesville Was in the Spotlight, Police Arrested Their Most Prominent Critic in the Middle of the Night". Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  38. 1 2 Lake, Hillary (August 29, 2017). "Charlottesville beating suspect Dan Borden is 'delaying the inevitable,' former judge says". WCPO Cincinnati. Cincinnati, Ohio. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  39. ↑ "Baltimore man among 3 more charged in Charlottesville, Va., white supremacist rally". Associated Press. August 27, 2017. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  40. ↑ "'Commie Killer', ex-Mason student convicted in Charlottesville beating to be sentenced". The Enquirer. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  41. ↑ "Charlottesville suspect arrested in Georgia to be extradited". The Washington Post. Associated Press. August 29, 2017. Archived from the original on August 29, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
  42. ↑ "Third white supremacist arrested in Charlottesville garage beating of a black man". Washington Post. August 28, 2017. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  43. 1 2 "Charlottesville Police Arrest 4th Person on Charges Related to DeAndre Harris Assault". Archived from the original on February 15, 2019. Retrieved 2018-01-27.
  44. ↑ Chan, Sewell; Cumming-Bruce, Nick (August 23, 2017). "U.N. Panel Condemns Trump's Response to Charlottesville Violence". The New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  45. ↑ Prevention of racial discrimination, including early warning and urgent action procedures (PDF) (Report). Early Warning and Urgent Action Procedures. Geneva. United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-07-15. Retrieved 2017-10-18. The UN Committee experts condemned "the failure at the highest political level of the United States of America to unequivocally reject and condemn" racist violence.
  46. ↑ "UN rights experts criticize US failure to unequivocally reject racist violent events". United Nations. August 23, 2017. Retrieved October 18, 2017.
  47. ↑ White supremacist is guilty in Charlottesville parking garage beating of black man. Ian Shapira, The Washington Post, 1 May 2018
  48. 1 2 "Updated: Jury Finds Ramos Guilty of Malicious Wounding". NBC 29 Charlottesville. Charlottesville. 2018-05-03. Archived from the original on 2018-08-08. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  49. ↑ Caron, Christina (January 8, 2019). "Charlottesville Attacker Gets Nearly 4 Years in Prison for Beating of Black Man". The New York Times. Retrieved January 13, 2019.
  50. ↑ Brett Barrouquere (August 24, 2018). "Jacob Scott Goodwin, Alex Michael Ramos sentenced to state prison in beating of DeAndre Harris". Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  51. ↑ Shapira, Ian (February 9, 2019). "Ex-white nationalist found guilty in beating of black man in Charlottesville parking garage". Washington Post. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  52. ↑ Sinclair, Harriet (October 12, 2017). "The Black Man who was bludgeoned by racists in Charlottesville turns himself in to police". Newsweek. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  53. 1 2 3 "Alternative facts: How white supremacists got the black man they brutally beat charged with felony". Vice News. October 13, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  54. ↑ Tim Stelloh (October 9, 2017). "Arrest Warrant Issued for Man Brutally Beaten at Charlottesville Rally". NBC News.
  55. ↑ Newton, Creede. "Black man attacked at Charlottesville rally charged". Al Jazeera. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  56. ↑ "Black man beaten by white nationalists is charged with assaulting man in Charlottesville melee". Los Angeles Times. October 12, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  57. ↑ Kirkland, Allegra (October 11, 2017). "Neo-Confederate Leader Behind Arrest Warrant For Black Man Beaten In C'Ville". Muckraker. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  58. ↑ Green, Jordan (5 December 2017). "Meet Harold Ray Crews, the Main Street white nationalist".
  59. ↑ Lee, Trymaine (October 10, 2017). "Man Attacked in Charlottesville Charged With Assault in Unexpected Turn". NBC News. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  60. ↑ Lopez, German (October 11, 2017). "DeAndre Harris was attacked by racists in Charlottesville. Now he faces criminal charges". VOX. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
  61. ↑ Early, John (January 10, 2018). "Charlottesville Judge Sets Trial Dates for DeAndre Harris and Corey Long". NBC29. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  62. ↑ Early, John (8 February 2018). "DeAndre Harris Faces New Restrictions After Bond Hearing". nbc29.com. Archived from the original on 28 February 2018. Retrieved 28 February 2018. Harris appeared for a bond hearing in Charlottesville General District Court Thursday, January 25. He had been charged by law enforcement in Southampton on January 10 for speeding, transporting a loaded rifle, and possession of a concealed weapon. The judge handed down new restriction for violating terms of the bond: Harris will now be under OAR (Offender Aid & Restoration) supervision until his trial on March 16.
  63. ↑ Harris found not guilty of assault Archived 2018-03-16 at the Wayback Machine. WCAV, 16 March 2018
  64. 1 2 3 Heim, Joe (December 1, 2017). "Charlottesville response to white supremacist rally is sharply criticized in report". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  65. ↑ Heaphy, Timothy (December 1, 2017). Independent review of the 2017 protest events in Charlottesville, Virginia (Report). Virginia. Hunton & Williams. p. 207. Archived from the original on 2018-02-26. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
  66. ↑ "Charlottesville police chief resigns in wake of report on white supremacist rally". The Washington Post. December 18, 2017. Retrieved January 1, 2017. Charlottesville Police Chief Alfred Thomas resigned abruptly Monday, just 17 days after the release of a report that was highly critical of the police department's handling of a white-supremacist rally in August that turned deadly in the Virginia city
  67. ↑ Callahan, Yesha (December 8, 2017). "Felony Charges Against DeAndre Harris Dropped in Charlottesville, Va., White Supremacist Rally". The Root. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
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